The present invention relates to a decorative article. More particularly, the present invention relates a decorative article having excellent mechanical characteristic while exhibiting warm color tone and excellent colorability (decorativeness).
For example, various kinds of materials such as stainless steel, Cu alloy, Al alloy or Ti alloy have been widely used as a decorative article for an interior/exterior lining material for an electric equipment such as an electric refrigerator, an electronic oven or the like, an interior/exterior lining material for a building, an exterior lining material for interior furnishings such as a kitchen instrument, an interior or exterior material for transportion machines and equipments, or the like and other industrial decorative article. Specifically, a decorative article made of each of the decorative articles as mentioned above generally exhibits excellent weather proofness and corrosion resistance, and moreover, it has a comparatively good color tone. Further, it is suitably employable for interior decoration, an outdoor signboard (guide plate) and a decorative article to be borne by an user. For this reason, all the aforementioned decorative articles are widely put in practical use. With respect to the industrial decorative articles as mentioned above, many requests have been raised from users so as to exhibit a higher decorative effect (more excellent colorability), more excellent mechanical characteristic.
However, a decorative article made of various kinds of materials such as stainless steel, Cu alloy, Al alloy or Ti alloy as mentioned above has the following disadvantageous problems from the viewpoint of practical use. For example, in case that a stainless steel and a Ti alloy are used as a decorative article, the resultant decorative article exhibits cold-feeling color tone. On the other hand, in case that a Cu alloy and an Al alloy are used as a decorative article, since they are inferior to the preceding decorative articles in respect of a surface hardness, tough they have relatively good-feeling color tone the resultant decorative article has problems that it is susceptible to injury or scratch. Otherwise, its decorative effect is readily lost. At any rate, the industrial decorative article which has been hitherto known and practically used has some advantages and some disadvantages. Thus, the present status is that any one of the aforementioned decorative articles fails to meet the requirements for excellent colorability (decorativeness) and excellent mechanical characteristic.
In view of the problems as mentioned above, trials have been made for adding to an Al alloy to be used for a decorative article at least one kind of metallic element selected from a group consisting of Zn, Sn and Ni. However, the resultant aluminum alloy still has unsolved problems in respect of mechanical strength and hardness.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the foregoing background.
An object of the present invention is to provide a decorative article suitably employable for industrial use wherein the decorative article exhibits warm-hearted color tone, excellent colorability (decorativeness) and excellent mechanical characteristic, and moreover, it is suitably subjected to surface treatment such as etching or the like.